7 dead, 3 injured, gunman caught in college shooting -- Authorities are now confirming that seven people have been killed by a gunman in a shooting at a private university in Oakland. Henry K. Lee, Carolyn Jones, Demian Bulwa, Justin Berton in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 4/2/12

Not giving up: Texas Rep. Ron Paul starts 3-day presidential campaign barnstorm of CA Tuesday --
Republican presidential candidateRon Paulhits the Golden State starting Tuesday for a 3-day barnstorm that will include university town hall meetings in Chico, Los Angeles and Berkeley — as well as some campaign fundraising.Carla MarinucciChronicle Politics -- 4/2/12

California controller probing city of Stockton -- California's state controller said on Monday his office will investigate the financial practices of the city of Stockton which is holding talks with its creditors as part of a plan to avoid filing for bankruptcy. Jim ChristieReuters -- 4/2/12

Supreme Court OKs strip searches for even minor offenses -- The Supreme Court refused Monday to limit strip searches of new jail inmates, even those arrested for minor traffic offenses. Dividing 5-4 along ideological lines, the high court said jail guards needed the full authority to closely search everyone who is entering a jail in order to maintain safety and security. David Savage in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/2/12

Bullet train agency says costs will be trimmed by $30 billion -- The agency overseeing California’s ambitious high-speed rail project unveiled a new business plan Monday that reduces the project’s cost by $30 billion by embracing a “blended” approach that uses some existing tracks rather than ones exclusively built for the bullet train. Ari BloomekatzLA Times PolitiCal$ -- 4/2/12

California Policy and Politics This Morning

Nancy Pelosi's fingerprints on health care debate -- Two years ago, Nancy Pelosi bet the House on health care and lost. No one was more instrumental in passage of the Affordable Care Act, and no one paid a bigger political price. Carolyn Lochhead in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 4/2/12

If justices kill health law, California may just revive it -- As doubts grow about the survival of the federal healthcare law, state officials are considering ways to keep key elements of the legislation alive in California. Chad Terhune in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/2/12

Skelton: A telling GOP defection -- Loss of Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher should be a wake-up call for party in California. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/2/12

New California bullet train plan a grand finale to years-long drama -- When California's high-speed rail leaders on Monday unveil their fourth and final business plan on the state's controversial quest to link the Bay Area and Los Angeles by bullet train, they'll be slashing $30 billion off the price tag and speeding up the first leg of construction beyond what's been dubbed a train to nowhere in the Central Valley. Mike Rosenberg in the San Jose Mercury -- 4/2/12

Occupation listings on ballots are high-stakes decisions -- What are the most high-stakes, second-guessed, agonized-over words since "I do?" For California politicians, it's the three-word description that voters will read in the polling booth before making up their minds. Jim Sanders in the Sacramento Bee -- 4/2/12

Brown's balancing act on tax hike: Wage populist fight to soak the rich or carefully court business? -- Now that left-leaning groups have joined forces with Gov. Jerry Brown on a tax-hike initiative, they are quietly urging him to take on their cause with a full-throated populist campaign to sock it to the rich. Steven Harmon in the San Jose Mercury -- 4/2/12

Schrag: The Mythmakers Strike Again -- Among perennial myths about California is the one about how the politicians’ free-spending habits have run us into our chronic fiscal problems – that we’re already a high tax state whose legislators don’t know how to stop. Peter SchragCal Progress Report -- 4/2/12

Ross Mirkarimi case to test S.F. Ethics Commission -- The San Francisco Ethics Commission will soon face its biggest test: recommending whether suspended Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi should be permanently removed from office for official misconduct. Heather Knight, John Coté in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 4/2/12

Willie Brown: Ross Mirkarimi needs cash in struggle to keep job -- Public Defender Jeff Adachi tried to get former Supervisor Angela Alioto to represent suspended Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi in his upcoming hearing before the Ethics Commission. She called to get my advice. Willie Brown in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 4/2/12

Curt Pringle's Dance With California's Lobbying Law -- Shortly after Pringle left his post as an Orange County Transportation Authority board director, he met with a client and a top OCTA official. A couple months later, the client was awarded a contract -- with Pringle as the subcontractor. ADAM ELMAHREKVoiceofOC.org -- 4/2/12

As Viewing Habits Change, Political Ads Switch Screens -- Just because you own a D.V.R. or watch television online does not mean political commercials are not coming soon to a screen near you. JEREMY W. PETERS in the New York Times$ -- 4/2/12

California business survey shows regulation remains a top worry -- The California Chamber of Commerce's business climate survey revealed Golden State business executives have a less pessimistic view of the state's economy than they did last year, but also agree with the widespread view that state government is not business friendly. Andrews Edwards in the San Bernardino Sun -- 4/2/12

Survey finds growth a factor in Sacramento hiring plans -- Sacramento employers say in a just-released survey that they are as optimistic about hiring as they have been in several years, but that they continue to fret over rising fuel prices and a skills gap among job candidates. Darrell Smith in the Sacramento Bee -- 4/2/12

Clinic leads fight for fair pay -- The widespread agriculture industry and its dependence on low-wage, immigrant labor has created a culture of wage theft in the Valley that has persisted for years, often unchallenged by state and local authorities, according to some legal experts. But soon, workers like Barragan who have been shortchanged will have somewhere to turn in Fresno for help. Heather Somerville and Robert Rodriguez in the Fresno Bee -- 4/2/12

Education

No access to classes, no success -- Since state budget cuts have eliminated up to 20 percent of community college classes in recent years, the experience has been like a crowded day at Disneyland, Riverside City College student Kennan Johnson said. DAYNA STRAEHLEY and IMRAN GHORISTAFF in the Riverside Press -- 4/2/12

Protections sought from Facebook 'burn page' harassment -- In one case, a student was subjected to school-wide humiliation after a fake Facebook page was created in his name with embarrassing postings and messages, including some aimed at harassing a girl on whom he had a crush. Kimberly BeltranSI&A Cabinet Report -- 4/2/12

Officials launch CA's Race to the Top early learning program -- Planning has begun in earnest for spending about $50 million in federal Race to the Top funding on improving California's network of existing early learning programs. Tom ChorneauSI&A Cabinet Report -- 4/2/12

Baron: U.S. in and out of step with top ed systems -- Andreas Schleicher looks the part of a diplomat. Tall and slim, with thick gray hair, and impeccable English spoken with a European accent. He is also the consummate diplomat when it comes to assessing the United State’s standing in education. Kathryn BaronTopEd -- 4/2/12

Leftism at UC leaves many with unbalanced education, study says -- Especially in humanities, study of classics and rigorous analysis have been replaced by advocacy and teaching about minorities' grievances, a conservative group says. UC provost disputes the findings. Larry Gordon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/2/12

Health Care

Humans bring millions of bacteria to indoor spaces, study says -- You are a big bag of germs. And just by walking into a room, you add 37 million bacteria to the air for every hour you remain there. Susanne RustCalifornia Watch -- 4/2/12

Putting healthcare where kids trip over it -- The Oakland Unified School District wants to be the first major urban school district in the nation to guarantee universal access to primary health care to all its students. Callie ShanafeltHealthyCal.org -- 4/2/12

Environment

State officials ask energy firms to disclose 'fracking' sites -- The Brown administration is scrambling to convince an increasingly wary public that state regulators are getting a handle on hydraulic fracturing, a controversial oil extraction method that can pose a hazard to drinking water. Michael J. Mishak in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/2/12

Occupy

Occupy SF marchers take over vacant building -- Occupy SF activists put the mostly moribund movement back in the spotlight Sunday, taking over an unoccupied building owned by the Archdiocese of San Francisco with plans to establish a "permanent occupation" that would serve as shelter and a center for services for homeless people. Benny Evangelista in the San Francisco ChroniclePaul Thissen in the San Jose Mercury -- 4/2/12

Police: Thousands of dollars in damage after Occupy Oakland antipolice march -- A weekly Occupy Oakland anti-police march ended with thousands of dollars in damage Saturday night as vandals smashed windows and left behind spray-painted slogans on downtown Oakland buildings, police said. Joshua Melvin in the San Jose Mercury -- 4/2/12

Also..

ACLU: Documents show questionable FBI intelligence gathering -- FBI agents in San Francisco used “community outreach” as a cover to collect intelligence on Muslim individuals and organizations, the American Civil Liberties Union claims, based on new documents it obtained through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit. G.W. SchulzCalifornia Watch -- 4/2/12

RV dwellers are constantly forced to relocate -- Living in a vehicle makes financial sense for many people, who say they aren't homeless because they have shelter. But it's illegal on public streets, which is why many are rousted from one spot to the next by annoyed neighbors and police. Ann M. Simmons in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 4/2/12

Oakland hills' brazen burglaries raise fears -- It's not merely the rise in crime that has Oakland hills residents demanding more cops - it's the type of crime. Burglars who once may have broken a window to sneak into a home have become much more brazen. Phillip Matier, Andrew Ross in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 4/2/12

Ann Romney is the Romney Democrats fear most -- Ann Romney’s unexpected rock star status has the political arena buzzing about how her husband’s campaign will leverage her popularity in an election in which Michelle Obama — one of the most admired first ladies in history — will have an outsized and substantive portfolio. LOIS ROMANOPolitico -- 4/2/12